By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, Nov 15: Funding for Chinese schools has been more equitable since Pakatan Harapan took over the federal government in May 2018, said Pujut assemblyman Dr Ting Tiong Choon.
He claimed that funding for vernacular schools, especially Chinese education, were more systematic unlike the Sarawak government, where funds allocation was that the discretion of the chief minister.
He cited the RM1 million promise to fund the building of an academic block at SM Pei Min, which was announced by then Barisan Nasional government prior to the 14th general election.
“That was 18 months ago, today the funding is still not coming. It’s a small amount of money.
“I urge the chief minister or SUPP (Sarawak United Peoples’ Party) lawmakers such as Datuk Lee Kim Shin and Datuk Sebastian Ting to help the school get immediate funding,” he told reporters after presenting a RM300,000 mock cheque to the SM Pei Min board here today.
The federal grant has been deposited to the school’s bank account on Oct 2.
“The difference between Pakatan funding and that of GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak), Pakatan is systematic. We promise, we deliver,” Dr Ting opined.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Pakatan secretary Alan Ling urged the people to stop challenging the existence of vernacular schools in the country.
“The existence of the vernacular schools should be an essential asset to the country and not a reason for some racists groups to break our unity,” he said.
He added that the existence of vernacular schools reflects the uniqueness of Malaysia, which must be upheld by all Malaysians regardless of race or ethnicity. — DayakDaily
